Conference Rankings: ACC Edges Big Ten and Big East

4. Big XII

There is a significant gap between the top three conferences and the Big XII, and there may be just as large a gap between the Big XII and those below them.

Oklahoma (11-0) will likely start the season 17-0 thanks to an extremely weak out-of-conference schedule.  We may not know just how far Blake Griffin can carry this team until the Sooners face Texas and Baylor in January.

Texas (9-2), on the other hand, has played an extraordinary schedule and as a result has wins over UCLA and Villanova, but losses to Notre Dame and Michigan State.  If their perimeter shooting improves, they can certainly challenge Oklahoma for the conference title and a good seed in March.

Baylor (9-1), Texas A&M (10-1), and Missouri (9-1) have looked mostly impressive, with their only losses coming to Wake Forest, Tulsa, and Xavier, respectively. 

Missouri's fairly weak out-of-conference schedule will not help them come March if they get beat up by Oklahoma, Texas, and Baylor.  The game against undefeated Illinois on Dec. 23, almost always a thoroughly enjoyable hard-fought slugfest, takes on extra importance for the Tigers.

Much of the rest of the conference, including Kansas (8-2), Nebraska (7-2), Texas Tech (8-3), and Oklahoma State (8-3), has been hit or miss, with some very bad losses mixed in with virtually no significant wins.

5. Pacific-10

This is clearly a down year for the Pac-10, but no one thought it would be quite this bad.  At least they're not the SEC. 

UCLA (8-2) has looked thoroughly unimpressive in losses to Michigan and Texas, and has not beaten a ranked team yet.  They maintain their position in the polls on athletic talent and expectations alone.

USC (7-3) lost their early-season ranking after losses to Seton Hall and Missouri, but a one-point loss to Oklahoma shows the Trojans' hopes for March are far from over.

Arizona State (9-1) won a crucial contest against BYU (by one point) last night to ensure that they remain in the March Madness conversation.

Arizona (7-3), on the other hand, took it on the chin from UNLV after shocking Gonzaga.  An early one-point loss to Texas A&M may very well cost the Wildcats a spot in the NCAA tournament if they don't earn several quality wins against Arizona State, USC, and UCLA.

A young Stanford (7-0) team and an inconsistent California (8-2) squad may be heard from before the season is over, but it would help if they played more teams with an RPI in the top 100; the Cardinal did manage a victory over Northwestern this weekend.

6. Atlantic Ten

I'm ranking the Atlantic Ten over the SEC, and with good reason.  There are two good, but not great, teams (Xavier and Dayton).  The SEC has the same in Tennessee and Florida. 

Many of the teams in the Atlantic Ten have impressive victories over ranked opponents, very close losses to ranked opponents, and some bad losses.  In the A-10, the No. 3 to No. 14 teams are all very similar in this way.  The SEC?  Outside of the Vols and Gators, they have virtually no quality wins and a schedule of weaklings.

Looking beyond Dayton (10-1) and Xavier (9-1), several teams in the Atlantic 10 have notched key wins over major conference opponents.

Temple (5-4) has defeated Penn State and Tennessee, and lost to Clemson by just four.

Massachusetts (4-6) stunned Kansas and trounced CAA contender Hofstra, whose only other loss was to Clemson.

Saint Louis (6-4) edged Boston College and just beat a decent Liberty team for their fourth straight victory after a terrible start to the season. 

Charlotte (4-6) beat Mississippi State and lost by just one to Clemson early in the season.

Richmond (5-5), LaSalle (5-5), and St. Joseph’s (4-5) all have lost very close games to ranked teams.  The Atlantic Ten does not have many teams that will be a factor in March, but they are simply more dangerous than the SEC, based on their current record, and they have defeated the SEC in several head-to-head matchups.  Therefore, they get the nod.

7. Conference USA

You thought the SEC was coming next after all that blather above, right?  Unfortunately, I can’t even rank them in the seventh slot.  The emergence of UTEP, UAB’s quality wins, the presence of a ranked Memphis (6-3) team, and strong starts by East Carolina and Houston (against admittedly weak competition) place Conference USA at No. 7 for now.

UAB (7-3) is down to six scholarship players after several players were ruled academically ineligible for the second semester.  This is a devastating blow for a team that I believe could have contended with Memphis for the conference title.  Now, they will have to be near-perfect just to be discussed in March.  The Blazers have quality wins over Ohio Valley favorite Jacksonville State (a blowout) and Arizona.

UTEP (6-4) may now be the most significant threat to Memphis due to UAB’s academic problems.  The Miners are the only team to beat St. Mary’s this year and crushed both Texas Tech and New Mexico State in their last two games, avenging their worst loss of the season (90-78 at New Mexico St.).

East Carolina (8-2) and Houston (7-1) are not as good as their record indicates, but will be a threat against decent teams when they play well.  The Pirates played N.C. State very close from wire to wire in a recent game against an ACC foe and will test the waters next against Wake Forest.  Beyond that, there are not really any teams to fear much from in Conference USA.

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